Beverage mixing machine



Dec. 18,1945. c. H. MILLER BEVERAGE MIXING MACHINE Filed June 7, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR.

C. H. MILLER BEVERAGE MIXING MACHINE Dec. 18, 1945.

Filed June 7, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet '2 INVENTOR. a/zfe/a 56. end/66,

Dec. 18, 1945. c MlLLER 2,391,066

BEVERAGE M IXING MACHINE Filed June 7, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet z IN VEN TOR.- efcvvee a 36. 916L664,

Dec.'18, 1945. c. H. MILLER BEVERAGE MIXING MACHINE Filed June 7, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 flfllllfflfl I! BY XM ATTORA/E'V ICE?- Patented Dec. 18, 1945 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE BEVERAGE MIXING MACHINE Charles H. Miller, Chicago, Ill. Application June '1, 1943, Serial No. 4895979 7 Claims. (c1. 259-54) The purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved beverage mixing machine adapted to rapidly and efficiently mix beverages or other liquids. Broadly stated, the primary purpose of the invention is to impart a series of rapid inversions to the receptacles in which the liquids are contained and mixed. I embody the necessary instrumentalities in a mechanism in which the several operations are carried out under the influence of compressed air. of the fact that certain mechanisms heretofore on the market carry out somewhat similar operations under the influence of cams disposed about a circular pathway. By the provision of the mechanism hereinafter described I am able to dispense with many moving parts, reduce wear and tear, provide a machine which will operate with less power and one which will be much quieter in operation than machines relying wholly upon cams. Further, the action of the compressed air actuated pistons of my machine is much quicker than the more gradual action of cam actuated devices. Consequently, I secure more eificient mixing of such things as carbonated water and syrup because in my machine the" syrup does not have time to run down the side of the bottle as in cam actuated machines. Further, where the use of a cam trackway is relied upon to actually carry out inversion of the bottle, the number of inversions is necessarily much more limited than in my machine where a short travel of the table can open a valve controlling compressed air and the air can then almost instantly bring about inversion of the bottle.

The invention contemplates the provision of a machine, the principal instrumentalities of which are operated by compressed air in such synchronized relation that a multiplicity of beverage carrying receptacles may be handled simultaneously; with consequent economy of Operation and minimum of handling. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention, with many parts omitted to preserve the clearness of the 'draw- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rotative table and associated parts, hereinafter described;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in vertical section of the central air control unit, hereinafter described;

Fig. 4 is an under-side view of the fixed cam,

I am aware overlying and constituting part of the air con trol unit; I

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the air control unit showing the heads of the air valves;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the shaker arm with the bottle 'or other receptacle in upright position;

Fig. 7 is a rear elevation of the structure of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view of the shaker arm after the receptacle has been swung through an are 0 substantially and Fig. 9 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 6.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the finished machine fifteen more or less of the shaker arms are mounted around the edge of the turn-table 5 to which motion is imparted in a clock-wise direction by suitable gearing 6 from a motor 1. In Fig. 1 only two of the shaker arms have been shown, in order to preserve the clearness of the drawings. By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that there are fifteen of these shaker arms, as previously stated. Each shaker arm comprises a lower cylinder 8. Pistons 9 in these cylinders actuate rack bars l0 against the tension of springs H. These rack bars engage gears l2 having fixed relation to swinging bases l3, said bases receiving the bottles or other receptacles H in whichthe beverages or other fluids are to be intimately mixed with each other.

air feed lines are carried through the hearing about which the gears l2 and the bases l3, swing. By referring to Fig. '7 it will be seen that these feed lines comprise the substantially U-shaped tubes l9 which receive their air supply from tubes 20, the connections including stufiing boxes 2|. Thus, fluid-tight connection may be maintained between the bodily swinging tubes I9 and the relatively fixed tubes 20 for the supply of air to the clamping cylinders [5. When the receptacles are being positioned upon the bases l3 the caps 11 are held in elevated position by the admission of air, as hereinafter described, to the cylinders I5. When the air is released the springs I 8 function to force the caps upon the receptacles and to hold the receptacles in place during the mixing operation. The means for controlling the air supply is illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5. In Fig. 3, a fixed cam plate 22 is secured by set screws 23 upon a tube 24. Air under pressure is supplied to the interior of this tube from any suitable source of compressed air, such as tank 25, through supply pipe 26 and coupling 21. A valve carrying head 28 is provided with an air chamber 29 receiving its air supply from tube 24 through port 30. Suitable stufling iboxes 3| and 32 prevent the escape of air from head 28 while permitting its bodily rotation along with the table and associated parts. Head 28 carries a multiplicity of valves arranged in two groups. The inner group of valves 33 controls the supply of air to the lift and grip controls constituted by 3 the cylinders l and associated parts, whilethe outer group of valves indicated at "controls the air supply to the dump action cylinders 8 of the shaker arms. In Fig. l I have illustrated only two feed lines 33 and 34 to indicate the aforesaid air flow but it will, of course, be understood that each cylinder will have its own independent feed line. The valves comprise the hollow stems 35, which thrust against valve discs 38 at their lower ends. In Fig. 3 the inside valve stem 33 has been illustrated as being depressed to, force its valve disc from its seat and to permit, air to flow from chamber 29 upwardly around the lower end of the valve stem to a port 31 and thence through a tube 33 to the associated gripping or clamping cylinder. In like manner when the valve stem 35 is depressed air may flow from chamber 29 through tube 34 to the dumping cylinder. The valves 38 are depressed against the action of their springs 38 whenever the hardened steel heads 39 ride beneath high points 40 of the fixed cam 22. The valve stems move through suitable stuffing boxes 4!. The heads 39 are fitted loosely upon the upper ends of the valve stems and they are provided with bleed ports 42 and closure discs 43. The. function of these latter parts is to cushion and to make smooth the action of. the machine by ensuring that the exhaust of air'from the cylinders 8 and I5 is a gradual rather than an abrupt one. It will be clear that when a high point of a cam has been passed by a valve stem and the valve closes, provision must be made for the exhaust of air from cylinders 8 and IS, in order to permit their springs H and I8 to return the pistons to the bottoms of the cylinders. It is clear that if an exhaust port were opened suddenly, these springs would act to return the parts with shock and jar. Under the arrangement described this exhaust of air is effected by having the residual air pressure itself lift the discs 43 and the relatively heavy heads 39 from the upper ends of the valve stems to permit the relatively slow escape of the air through bleed ports 42. The stems 35 are not physically attached to the valves of which the discs 36 are a part. When, under the action of the high point 48 of a cam, a valve stem is thrust downwardly it merely pushes the disc 36 of a valve off its seat, to permit air to pass to one of the tubes, for example, 33 After the cam passes and its pressure upon the hollow stem is relieved the spring 48 returns the disc 38 to its closing position. The force of spring 48 is then exerted against the valve seat and the stem 35 bears against disc 36, but'without pressure. Under these conditions air can seep from the tube 33 back through the hollow stem to the bleed port 42.

A vertical shaft 45, Figs. 1 and 2, carries atits lower end a star wheel 43 adapted to be engaged by the bodies of the cylinders of the shaker arms in their bodily rotation so that a step-by-step movement is imparted to this star wheel, under the influence of the rotation of table 5. This, in turn, imparts a step-by-step movement to a conventional type of infeed star wheel 48 upon the upper end of the shaft, the latter delivering the bottles or other receptacles from conveyor 48 into position to be received between base l3 and cap plate I1. At this time the cap will have been elevated by the admission of air beneath its piston Hi. In the continued rotation of the table the valve which had admitted air to thus elevate '15 the cap plate will ride from beneath a high point *.of the cam and the spring l8 will act to clamp the receptacle upon the base and it will remain ,thus clamped until the table has nearly completed a rotation, at which time the receptacle will be brought into juxta-position to a take-oil star wheel 41 operated by shaft 50, Fig. 2, from a lower star wheel 5| and by contact with the shaker cylinder in the manner previously described with respect to the indeed star 'wheel. The number of bodily inversions-given the receptacle during a rotation of the table maybe varied within wide ranges and is controlled by the numberof high points upon the under-side of the fixed cam 22. While theinstrumentalities shown are well adapted to carry out the purposes of the invention, it will be clear that many ways will suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art by which different means may be used to accomplish the same end result. I wish it therefore to be 5 understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown but that it includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims. 40 Having described my invention, what I claim l. The combination with a rotative table, of a plurality or shaker units disposed around the edge of said table, each-shaker unit comprising a receptacle support mounted to swing in a vertical plane through an arc of substantially 180, a clamping head associated with each receptacle support, pneumaticmeans uponeach receptacle support for actuating the clamping head, addi- 50 tional pneumatic means associated with each receptacle support for bodily swinging the same, a group of conduits for conducting pressure fluid to each of the first named pneumatic means, a second group of conduits for conducting pressure fluid to the last namedpneumatic means, a block centrally disposed with respect to the table and bodily rotating therewith, means for supplying pressure fluid to the interior of said block, two groups of valves in said block-for controlling the 0 pressure fluid to said conduits, and a fixed cam disposedin the pathot movement of said valves and over which said valves ride and by which the valves are actuated in timed relationto first clamp a bottle or other'receptacle upon a receptacle support and thereafter impart a plurality of inversions to the receptacle support for each rotation of the table.

2. A structure asre'cited in claim 1 in combination with a conveyor associated with the'table,

star wheels associated with the conveyor and table for delivering receptacles to and removing them from'the'rec'eptacle support and means 'for actuating said star wheels under the influence '0! the'rotation of the table and intimed relation thereto.

3. A shaker unit comprising an arm, a receptacle support mounted to swing about a horizontal axis upon said arm, a gear fixed to said support, a vertically movable rack bar engaged with said gear, reciprocation of the rack bar turning the gear to swing the support through an arc of substantially 180, a pneumatic cylinder, piston and piston rod mounted upon and bodily movable with the receptacle support through such swinging movement, a clamping head carried by said piston rod, a sprin within the cylinder actuating the piston in a direction to cause the clamping head to engage the receptacle, means for introducing air under pressure to said cylinder through the bearing of the gear wheel to move the piston against the action of the spring, a second cylinder, piston and piston rod mounted upon the vertical arm, the latter piston rod being engaged with said rack bar, and means for introducing pressure fluid to the latter cylinder in timed relation to the introduction of pressure fluid to the first named cylinder.

4. A beverage mixing machine comprising a horizontally traveling table, a-group of shaker units disposed around the edge of said table and traveling bodily therewith, each of said shaker units comprising a fixed substantially vertical member, a receptacle support pivoted upon a substantially horizontal axis upon said member, a clamping cap plate for each shaker unit, a pneumatic cylinder, piston and piston rod mounted upon each receptacle support to swing bodily and as a unit therewith, said clamping cap plates being carried by said piston rods, springs within the cylinders acting upon the pistons and piston rods to move the cap plates into engagement with the receptacles upon said supports, a pneumatic cylinder, piston and piston rod carried by each of the fixed vertical members, springs acting to move the last named pistons and piston rods in one direction, rack bars connected to the last named piston rods, a gear fixed to each receptacle support concentrically of the pivot point thereof and with which said rack bars engage, a source of pressure fluid supply, and control means acting under the influence of the table rotation for admitting pressure fluid beneath the last named pistons to actuate them against their springs to thereby swing the receptacle supports about their horizontal pivot points, pressure fluid conduits connecting the first named bodily swinging cylinders with the source of pressure fluid and additional control means also acting under the influence of the table rotation for admitting pressure fluid through said conduits to the first named cylinders to actuate the pistons therein against the tension of their springs to thereby release the cap plates.

5. A shaker unit comprising a fixed member, a pneumatic cylinder and piston fixed thereto, a receptacle support pivoted to swing bodily about a horizontal axis upon said member, a pneumatic cylinder and piston mounted upon and swinging bodily with said receptacle support, connections between the first piston and the receptacle support for moving said support about its pivot under the action of said piston, a clamping head, means for moving said head in one direction to clamp a receptacle upon said receptacle support, and means actuated by said last named piston for moving said clamping head in the other direction and a pressure fluid conduit for conducting pressure fluid to the bodily swinging cylinder and piston.

6. An air controlling unit of the character described, comprising a rotative block, means to rotate said block, a fixed horizontal cam disposed above said block and having cam surfaces upon its under face, conduits leading from said block and moving bodily therewith, means for supplying air under pressure to the interior of said block, there being ports leading from the interior of the block respectively to the several conduits, a valve seat in each of said ports, valves respectively controlling said ports by engaging the corresponding seat, means to urge each of the valves to its seat, stufling boxes carried by said block, a hollow valve stem for each of said valves the upper end of which moves vertically through one of said stuifing boxes and the lower end of which acts to thrust the valve from its seat when said stem is moved toward the valve, a relatively heavy loose head mounted upon the upper end of each valve stem, a bleed port formed in each of said heads, said heads riding over the surfaces of said cams to thereby thrust the hollow stems against the valves to unseat them, said heads closing the upper end of the hollow stems while said heads are being acted upon by the cams and said heads being movable away from the upper ends of said stems by residual air pressure I to permit such residual air pressure to pass from said bleed ports when said heads pass out of engagement with their respective cams, the lower ends of the hollow stems being so disposed with respect to the ports which lead to the several conduits that residual air in said conduits may enter said stems after their corresponding valves are seated.

'7. An air controlling unit of the character described. comprising a fixed air supply tube, a rotative block journaled to turn upon said tube, means to rotate said block, a chamber centrally disposed within the block, a port within the tube establishing communication between the tube and said chamber, two groups of conduits connected to the block and moving bodily therewith, two sets of ports leading from the chamber to the said conduits, two sets of valves disposed to open or close said ports, two sets of vertically arranged valve stems for moving said valves from their seats, springs tending to seat said valves, the valve stems of one set being disposed in a circumferential row around said block and the valve stems of the other set being disposed in a circumferential row concentrically within the first named set, heads upon said valve stems, a horizontal cam plate secured upon said tube and overlying said heads and cams in two different circumferential paths projecting from the cam plate and over which said heads ride in the rotation of the block.

CHARLES H. MILLER. 

